Stephen Colbert chides Trump for stealing his Colbert Report alligator-moat bit from Obama

Stephen Colbert accuses Trump and Obama of plagiarizing his bit

(Image credit: Screenshot/YouTube/The Late Show)

published 3 October 2019

Stephen Colbert wished Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) a speedy recovery from his heart operation, joking on Wednesday's Late Show that "this was always a risk — it's what happens when people want a president who has a heart."

Colbert pivoted fairly seamlessly to President Trump: "Now, with all the insane things that Trump is saying and doing about impeachment, it's easy to forget all the insane he's saying and doing about everything else. But thanks to a new book, we've learned that back in March, Trump suggested that soldiers on our southern border shoot migrants in the legs to slow them down. ... And when his staff told him his plans were impractical and illegal, he got angry, yelling, 'You're making me look like an idiot!' I think you got that one covered."

Still, Colbert said, "the pièce de dumb of Trump's lunatic border agenda was his idea to fortify the border wall with a water-filled trench stocked with snakes or alligators, prompting aides to seek a cost estimate. Who do you call? Where do you shop for 2,000 miles of moat gator? ... Trump took to Twitter today to refute the snake-moat story," he added, reading Trump's denial about requesting a "Moot" (though not the leg-shooting).

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"Not only is Trump's gator plan insane, it's also plagiarized — and you'll never guess who he stole the idea from," Colbert said. If you guessed former President Barack Obama, you're half right: "Ah, remember back in 2011, when a president talking about alligator moats was a joke, and the most embarrassing thing about Kevin Spacey was K-Pax? It was a simpler time. But I have a bone to pick with Obama, because he also plagiarized that joke from this guy I used to know who played a conservative pundit on a comedy show. ... Trump is stealing all my bits!" You can watch that blast from Colbert's past below. Peter Weber

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Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.

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